Waiting for Full Approbation? A Doctor Can Start Working Sooner in Berlin, With Real Limits Attached
If a doctor in your family is deep into Berlin's Approbation recognition process through LAGeSo and full licensing feels like it's still a long way off, a genuinely distinct, separate permit exists specifically to let them start practicing medicine sooner, the Erlaubnis zur vorübergehenden Ausübung des ärztlichen Berufs, granted under Section 10 of the Bundesärzteordnung (BÄO), a federal law that applies the same way in Berlin as anywhere else in Germany. Worth knowing upfront: this permit is generally reserved for doctors whose medical training was completed OUTSIDE the EU, EEA, or Switzerland, the law explicitly excludes applicants with an EU, EEA, or Swiss training credential from this specific permit, unless they can demonstrate a genuine special interest (besonderes Interesse) in the intended activity. In Berlin, you don't apply through a separate portal the way Bavaria's ZAABY process works, LAGeSo's own Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe processes the Berufserlaubnis request alongside your Approbation application, using the same combined form, for a 150-euro fee and a typical processing time of roughly 3 to 4 months once your file is complete. This is a real, separate authorization, not simply an earlier or informal stage of the Approbation paperwork, and it comes with genuinely meaningful limits: it can only be granted for a maximum total of 2 years of practice under this specific law, it can be restricted to a particular activity and place of employment rather than functioning as an open-ended general license, and it doesn't function as a substitute path around full Approbation, it exists alongside it and doesn't prevent Approbation from eventually being granted. Someone holding this permit otherwise has the rights and duties of a physician while working under it.
The Official Rule
Assuming a doctor going through Berlin’s Approbation recognition process simply has to wait, fully sidelined, until that process concludes is an understandable but genuinely incomplete picture, a real, separate path exists to start practicing sooner, and it runs through the same Berlin authority already handling the full recognition case.
A genuinely distinct permit exists specifically to let a doctor practice before full Approbation is granted, though it isn’t available to everyone. The official statutory text of Section 10 of the Bundesärzteordnung, a federal law that applies identically in Berlin and every other German state, establishes the Erlaubnis zur vorübergehenden Ausübung des ärztlichen Berufs, the permit for temporarily practicing the medical profession. Section 10(1) sentence 2 states plainly that this permit “wird Antragstellern, die über einen Ausbildungsnachweis als Arzt verfügen, der in einem Mitgliedstaat der Europäischen Union, einem anderen Vertragsstaat des Abkommens über den Europäischen Wirtschaftsraum oder in der Schweiz ausgestellt wurde, nicht erteilt”, meaning it’s not granted to applicants whose medical training credential was issued in an EU member state, another EEA contracting state, or Switzerland. This permit is genuinely built for doctors trained outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland. Section 10(1a) does provide an exception: if an applicant can demonstrate a genuine special interest (besonderes Interesse) in the specific intended activity, the permit can still be granted on request even with an EU, EEA, or Swiss credential.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Section 10, Bundesärzteordnung (BÄO), federal law |
| Responsible Berlin authority | LAGeSo's Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe, same office as Approbation |
| How to apply | Combined application form, alongside your Approbation request, no separate portal |
| Fee | 150 euros |
| Typical processing time | Roughly 3-4 months with a complete file |
| Maximum total duration | 2 years of practice under this permit |
| Relationship to Approbation | Runs alongside it, doesn't replace or block it |
Where Berlin genuinely works differently from Bavaria is the administrative path, not the underlying law. Bavaria routes this application through ZAABY and a dedicated BayernPortal listing. Berlin doesn’t run a separate portal for it at all: LAGeSo’s own combined application form, titled “Antrag auf Erteilung der Approbation/einer Berufserlaubnis,” lets you request either the full Approbation or the temporary Berufserlaubnis, or both, through the Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe, the same office covered in this project’s companion guide on Berlin’s Approbation process. The federal government’s own administrative services portal confirms the Berlin-specific process: a 150-euro fee, a typical processing time of roughly 3 to 4 months with complete documentation, and requirements including B2-level general German and C1-level medical language proficiency, good health, and confirmed reliability, on top of the underlying question of whether your foreign qualification is complete and comparable.
The permit’s duration is genuinely limited, worth understanding as a firm boundary rather than an open-ended bridge. An annotated version of the statutory text confirms the permit can be granted for a maximum total duration of up to 2 years of medical practice under this specific law, a concrete statutory ceiling that applies the same way regardless of which German state issues it.
The permit can also be genuinely narrower in scope than a full, general medical license. The statute confirms this authorization can be restricted to certain activities and specific places of employment, rather than functioning as a general permission to practice anywhere, in any capacity, this is worth confirming precisely for any specific permit granted, since the actual scope may be narrower than initially assumed. Holding this temporary permit doesn’t interfere with the separate Approbation process itself, it exists alongside the full recognition pathway rather than substituting for it or blocking it, and someone practicing under this temporary authorization otherwise holds the rights and duties of a physician while doing so.
What Real People Say
Doctor families navigating a long Approbation timeline through LAGeSo describe genuine relief at learning this temporary permit exists as a real, separate path, several specifically mention initially assuming full inactivity was the only option while waiting, only to discover this bridge could let them start working, under real limits, much sooner, and without an extra bureaucratic detour through a different office.
Families who obtained this permit describe the specific restrictions, the 2-year cap, the 150-euro fee, and the activity/employer-specific scope, as details worth confirming precisely upfront, several specifically recommend contacting LAGeSo’s Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe directly with their exact situation rather than assuming a one-size-fits-all set of terms applies.
Step by Step
- Understand this is a genuinely separate permit, not an earlier stage of the standard Approbation process, though in Berlin it’s requested on the same combined form.
- Confirm the specific scope of any permit under consideration, it can be restricted to a particular activity and place of employment.
- Plan around the firm 2-year maximum duration, this is a temporary bridge, not an indefinite alternative to full Approbation.
- Continue pursuing full Approbation separately, holding this temporary permit doesn’t block or replace that process.
- Raise your specific situation directly with LAGeSo’s Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe, given how much the exact relationship between this permit and your individual Approbation path can depend on your circumstances.
Compliance Note
This page explains the general framework for the temporary medical practice permit under Section 10 BÄO in Berlin, current as of mid-2026. It is not legal advice, and specific eligibility and permit scope depend on individual circumstances. Confirm your specific situation directly with LAGeSo or the relevant licensing authority.
FAQ & Common Pitfalls
Can a doctor with an EU or EEA medical degree even get this permit in Berlin?
Generally no, and this is a federal rule, not something Berlin's own authority decides differently. The law explicitly excludes applicants whose medical training credential was issued in an EU member state, another EEA contracting state, or Switzerland from this specific permit. There's one exception: if you can demonstrate a genuine special interest (besonderes Interesse) in the specific intended activity, the permit can still be granted on request, but this isn't automatic or guaranteed.
Do we apply for this through a separate office from Berlin's Approbation process?
No, and this is one place Berlin genuinely works differently from Bavaria's separate ZAABY-specific process. LAGeSo's own Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe, the same office that handles full Approbation applications, processes a Berufserlaubnis request using the same combined application form. You're not filling out a second form at a different authority, the request goes in alongside your Approbation paperwork.
What does this permit actually cost and how long does Berlin take to process it?
The official federal administrative services portal lists a 150-euro fee for Berlin's process, with a typical processing time of roughly 3 to 4 months once your documentation is complete. That's a separate, faster track from the full Approbation timeline, worth asking LAGeSo about directly if a doctor in your family needs to start working sooner rather than waiting out the complete recognition process.
If a doctor in our family gets this permit, how long can they actually practice under it?
A maximum total of 2 years of practice under this specific permit, this is a firm statutory limit set by the federal BÄO, not something that extends indefinitely while Approbation remains pending, and it applies the same way in Berlin as anywhere else in Germany. It's worth understanding this concretely as a temporary bridge, not an alternative long-term path.
Does getting this temporary permit affect or delay the full Approbation process itself?
No, this permit doesn't function as a substitute for or a block against Approbation, it exists alongside the full recognition process rather than replacing it. Getting this temporary permit doesn't prevent Approbation from eventually being granted once LAGeSo's separate, complete review concludes.